It's official - the British invented champagne

THE CLAIM by the French to have invented champagne was revealed as nothing but Gallic bluster yesterday.

PROOF: The French are credited for bubbly, but we actually invented it (Picture: WENN)

It was a 17th century cider maker from Gloucester who first came up with the idea.

Christopher Merrett not only devi­sed the method of fermentation which gives champagne its sparkle.

He also invented the stronger glass needed to stop the bottles exploding under pressure.

Merrett delivered a paper to the Royal Society in London in 1632 setting out his discovery. And that was six years before Dom Perignon, the French monk generally credited with inventing champagne, was even born.

The first champagne house was not founded in France until 1729 – almost 100 years after Merrett published his ideas.

His role in the invention of champagne has been uncovered by author James Crowden.

I think the French stole our technology and used it as their own.

Alex Hill

Merrett and other English cider makers had been experimenting by adding sugar to acidic French white wine, starting a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

“Many people assume that the French invented champagne because that is the story which has been perpetuated down the centuries,” said Mr Crowden.

“But to make champagne you first need tough, dark bottle glass that will withstand the pressures of the secondary fermentation.

“The French will no doubt guard their rights to the methode champenoise to the last cork and prevent anyone else using the champagne name.

“But they cannot claim to have invented the method for the simple reason they did not have the strong English bottles.”

Devon cider makers such as Jason Mitchell and Alex Hill still make sparkling cider the same way. Mr Hill said: “I think the French stole our technology and used it as their own.”